Memorandum
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AI Can Now Control Your PC

AI Can Now Control Your PC

Pinterest adds AI content controls, Google DeepMind partners on fusion energy, and OpenAI hires a black hole physicist.

Memorandum
October 17, 2025

Welcome back to your daily memorandum talking tech, business, AI, markets, and more. 🗞️

In today’s edition, we are tackling the following:

🧠 Microsoft rolls out ‘Hey Copilot,’ letting users control PCs by voice.
💻 Apple developing touchscreen MacBook Pro with OLED display and slimmer frame.
🤖 Anthropic’s Claude gains Agent Skills for domain-specific automation.
📦 Waymo and DoorDash partner on autonomous delivery trials in Phoenix.
🌍 Trump and Putin to meet in Hungary for Ukraine peace talks.

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TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft launches 'Hey Copilot' voice assistant and autonomous agents for all Windows 11 PCs (Verge)
_^More:_^Investing_^,_^Engadget_^,_{^{Fast Company}}
- Microsoft introduces opt-in voice activation with ‘Hey Copilot’ and expands Vision globally for screen analysis.
- Copilot Actions enables autonomous tasks, including file organization and multi-step workflows, through sandboxed environments.
- Users engage twice as much with voice versus text, prompting Microsoft's voice-first strategy across interfaces.
Apple Readies High-End MacBook Pro With Touch, Hole-Punch Screen (Bloomberg)
_^More:_^MacRumors_^,_^Yahoo!_^,_^9to5Mac
- Apple plans a touchscreen MacBook Pro with OLED display and a hole-punch camera launching late 2026 or early 2027.
- Redesign includes a thinner frame, M6 chips, reinforced hinge to prevent display bounce when touched by users.
- Trackpad and keyboard remain, with touch augmenting functionality rather than replacing traditional input methods completely.
Anthropic introduces Agent Skills for Claude to perform specialized tasks (SiliconANGLE)
_^More:_^VentureBeat_^,_{^{The Register}}_^,_^Anthropic
- Skills are folders containing instructions and scripts that Claude loads dynamically to perform domain-specific work better.
- Users can create custom Skills or use Anthropic-built ones for Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and PDFs automatically.
- Progressive disclosure allows unbounded context by loading information only as needed during task execution phases.

BUSINESS

Amazon's Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police (TechCrunch)
_^More:_^CNBC_^,_{^{The Record}}_^,_^Republic
- Ring partners with Flock Safety's AI surveillance network used by ICE, Secret Service, and thousands of police departments.
- Law enforcement using Flock can request Ring doorbell footage for investigations, potentially accessing millions more cameras nationwide.
- Partnership reinstates police access after Ring ended similar program in 2024 following FTC $5.8 million security settlement.
Waymo and DoorDash launch autonomous delivery service in Phoenix (DoorDash)
_^More:_^Bloomberg_^,_^TechCrunch_^,_^Axios
- Waymo autonomous vehicles begin delivering DoorDash orders across the 315-square-mile Phoenix metro area, starting with warehouses.
- Customers opt into autonomous delivery at checkout, then retrieve items from the trunk using DoorDash app functionality.
- DashPass members receive $10 monthly Waymo ride discount through year-end in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Uber Giving Some US Drivers the Option to Earn Money From Tasks Like Uploading Menus (Bloomberg)
_^More:_^PYMNTS_^,_{^Entrepreneur}_^,_{^{Sherwood News}}
- Uber introduces ‘digital tasks’ category allowing drivers to earn money uploading menus and recording audio for AI training.
- New feature launches fall 2025, expanding Uber AI Solutions business, connecting drivers with companies needing data labeling services.
- Tasks take minutes to complete on smartphones with variable pay, following successful testing in India earlier this year.

MARKETS

S&P	6,629.07	–0.63%
NASDAQ	22,562.54	–0.48%
Dow	45,952.24	–0.65%
10-Year	3.976%	↓ ~0.070 pp
Bitcoin	$115,082.01	+0.43%
Gold	$4,016.68	+0.76%

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WORLD

Ron Conway resigns from Salesforce Foundation over Benioff's Trump support (Fortune)
_^More:_{^{New York Times}}_^,_^TechCrunch_^,_^CNBC
- Prominent venture capitalist Ron Conway resigned after a 25-year friendship, telling Benioff their values are no longer aligned.
- Conway criticized Benioff for supporting Trump's National Guard deployment proposal and ignoring ICE immigration raid impacts.
- Benioff's comments drew condemnation from San Francisco officials who cited record-low homicide rates and declining crime.
Trump and Putin to meet in Hungary for Ukraine talks (CNN)
_^More:_{^{NBC News}}_^,_{^{Al Jazeera}}_^,_^PBS
- Trump announces Budapest meeting with Putin following two-hour phone call, with senior advisors meeting first next week.
- The U.S. delegation, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will prepare the groundwork before leaders meet in Hungary.
- Trump threatens to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles if Russia refuses negotiations, despite Putin's red-line warnings.
India denies Trump's claim on agreement to stop Russian oil (The Guardian)
_^More:_^Bloomberg_^,_{^{Washington Post}}_^,_{^{Al Jazeera}}
- India's foreign ministry says unaware of any Modi-Trump conversation on Wednesday, contradicting Trump's claims about the oil pledge.
- Trump imposed 50% tariffs on India citing Russian oil purchases, which account for 34% of India's imports.
- Indian officials emphasize that energy policy prioritizes consumer interests and strategic autonomy over U.S. pressure to halt purchases.

FUTURISM

Pinterest adds controls to limit AI-generated content in feeds (TechCrunch)
_^More:_^Engadget_^,_{^{Fast Company}}_^,_{^{Social Media Today}}
- Users can now toggle GenAI content restrictions in categories including beauty, art, fashion, and home décor settings.
- Platform adds more prominent AI content labels following backlash over ‘AI slop’ drowning out human-created inspiration and content.
- New controls launching on web and Android first, with iOS rollout coming in the following weeks, per company.
Google DeepMind partners with fusion startup on clean energy (Axios) _^More:_^TechCrunch_^,_{^SiliconANGLE}_^,_^DeepMind
- DeepMind teams with Commonwealth Fusion Systems to use AI software Torax for plasma simulation and reactor control.
- CFS's SPARC reactor aims to be the first fusion device producing more power than needed, finishing late 2026.
- Google invested in CFS's $863 million funding round and agreed to purchase 200 megawatts from the future plant.
OpenAI hires black hole physicist for new science initiative (Axios)
_^More:_{^{Hacker News}}_^,_^Biztoc
- Award-winning physicist Alex Lupsasca joins as the first member of the OpenAI for Science team led by Kevin Weil.
- Lupsasca will maintain the Vanderbilt professorship while shaping research direction in theoretical physics and scientific reasoning capabilities.
- Move signals OpenAI's push to deepen scientific credibility and compete with rivals pursuing research-focused AI applications.

CONTENT

Keith Rabois: Israel, OpenAI, Opendoor, and DOGE (a16z)
- Keith Rabois predicts a U.S. economic expansion fueled by AI-driven productivity and sovereign technology projects.
- He discusses Trump’s second term, deregulation, and how America could “grow its way out” of debt through innovation.
- Rabois also weighs in on OpenAI’s dominance, Big Tech competition, and his bullish thesis for Opendoor’s long-term play.
Figma’s CEO: Why AI Makes Design, Craft, and Quality the New Moat for Startups (Lenny’s Podcast)
- Dylan Field explains how Figma rebuilt after its blocked Adobe deal and went public while keeping its creative culture intact.
- He details how AI is amplifying design quality, rapid prototyping, and product velocity across Figma’s expanding platform.
- The conversation dives into leadership clarity, taste-building, and why human craft remains startups’ ultimate moat.
Genspark’s Super AI Agent Is INSANE (Greg Isenberg)
- Greg Isenberg tests Genspark’s multi-agent AI platform, capable of building workflows across text, image, and video creation.
- It combines GPT-5, Claude, and Gemini in parallel, integrating seamlessly with productivity tools via MCP connections.
- The $20/month platform undercuts rivals like Manus, offering AI-powered automation accessible to non-technical teams.

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